How does one become a warmonger?

[sinkingfeeling]

What makes one feel they, alone, have the right to 'take' from others by force? Is it the result of a life of privilege? Where does the hubris come from? How can anybody support war/force/violence on one hand and call themselves a Christian on the other? Why do some people seem to lack all empathy with other members of the human race?

I ask these questions after someone else posted a quote from Winston Churchill stating he had no objections to gassing 'uncivilized tribesmen' in reference to the Kurds. Was he so secure that he could not see the immorality of such an action? Would he have thought the same about his fellow Englishmen?

How do you get this way? I know that some Americans believe they are far superior to any other group of people on earth, but how can they believe that? Have they never been anyplace else? Have they gone uneducated all their lives about history and other cultures/empires, accomplishments?

Are Christians taught they are above the rest? (I know that within certain sects, they are taught that they are 'chosen' and therefore, superior.)

It seems like most of the 'leaders' in wars of aggression have been wealthy, white men, with a few exceptions, like Hitler. But what about that pesky 19 to 29% who actually support our invasion and occupation (read, reign of death and destruction) of Iraq? Who are they and why can't they see the ugliness and criminality of these acts?

[porphyrian]

1. Certainly not by actually being in one. - n/t

[Avalux]

2. Right Wing Authoritarianism -

Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) is a psychological personality variable or "ideological attitude".

It is defined as the convergence of three attitudinal clusters in an individual:

1. Authoritarian submission — a high degree of submission to the authorities who are perceived to be established and legitimate in the society in which one lives. "It is good to have a strong authoritarian leader."
2. Authoritarian aggression — a general aggressiveness, directed against various persons, that is perceived to be sanctioned by established authorities. "It is acceptable to be cruel to those who do not follow the rules."
3. Conventionalism — a high degree of adherence to the social conventions that are perceived to be endorsed by society and its established authorities. "Traditional ways are best."

High scorers on the RWA scale (High RWAs) tend to have a rigid, often fundamentally religious, view of morality tending toward homophobic, racist and patriarchal beliefs. High RWA scorers tend to support authority figures, such as the government, taking action to censor certain social groups — often those they view as physically or morally threatening.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Wing_Authoritarianism

[nancyr]

4. An excellent book addresses this topic.

I'm currently reading Why The Religious Right is Wrong by Robin Meyers. This is something everyone should read and understand. It points out in detail how the situation got this bad and why it is that Bush is not in any way religious. These people use religion as a masquerade to acheive their goals and people of somewhat simple thinking believe it. I highly reccomend the book! The author is a minister in Oklahoma City, but he is not of the fundamentalist or evangelical stripe. Bottom line: they justify killing innocent people because God is on their side.

[Clevenger]

3. Yes, Christians are taught that their beliefs are superior...

...to all others ("No man comes to the Father except by me" - attributed to Jesus Christ). Some Christians claim they don't believe that Christianity is the superior belief system, but the fact that they chose to be Christian sort of negates that claim.

There are loving, compassionate Christians, but the most vocal group of "Christians" in America today are actually Old Testament Paulists, who generally ignore Jesus' teachings of love and compassion.

Indeed, America once was the grandest nation on earth; then it became an imperial power, and it's been downhill ever since.

It's fear, greed and envy which drives men to be this way.